Apparatus for the conveying of flat paper goods



APPARATUS FOR THE CONVEYINGDF FLAT PAPER GOODS W. REIST 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 5, 1959 Filed Oct. l5,

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APPARATUS FOR THE CONVEYING OF FLAT PAPER GOODS Walter Rest, Thalwil, Zurich, Switzerland, assignor to Daverio & Cie. A.G., Zurich, Switzerland Application October 15, 1954, Serial No. 462,513

Claims priority, application Switzerland December 9, 1953 4 Claims. (Cl. 198-180) The present invention relates to a method and to a device for the conveying of paper goods, for example of printed matter such as folded newspapers.

The technique of conveying paper goods, particularly of folded newspapers, has not kept pace with the development of the rotary printing machine so that there are diliiculties in conveying the newspapers away from the rotary printing machine which delivers the same at a rate of up to 100,000 newspapers per hour without excessive requirements in personnel, and without soiling the newspapers, the print of which is still wet. Usually the folded newspapers have been engaged on both sides by circulating belts which, however, often take up ink and thereby involve the disadvantage of soiling the newspapers.

The invention has the main object of providing a method, and a device for carrying out the same, which obviate the aforesaid dilliculties and convey the newspapers away at a very high output and without soiling the same.

The new method is based on the fact that fiat paper goods, e.g. folded newspapers, are stilfened by being bent about an axis transverse of their faces, and can then be held and conveyed without diiculty.

The method according to the present invention comprises the steps of engaging the said paper goods on one side, bending the same about an axis transverse of the plane of the said goods and transporting the said goods in the bent condition, preferably in a direction substantially perpendicular to the said plane. The said paper goods are preferably engaged outside the printed range thereof.

A conveyer device according to the present invention comprises in combination: an endless conveyer means, roller-shaped gripper means mounted in two rows on the said conveyer means, and resilient means forcing each of the said roller-shaped gripper means against two adjacent consecutive roller-shaped gripper means of the other row, thereby bending a liat paper material around the said irst mentioned roller-shaped gripper means. Preferably at least the circumference of the said roller shaped gripper means consists of resilient porous rubber material.

These and other objects and features of my said invention will be clearly understood from the embodiments illustrated by way of example in the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which:

Fig. l diagrammatically shows in plan view the arrangement of the new device adjacent the folding appliance e.g. of a newspaper rotary printing machine,

Fig. 2 is a part elevation of the conveyer device, and

Fig. 3 is a cross section thereof,

Fig. 3a is a cross sectional View taken on line .5a-3a of Fig. 3.

Fig. 4 shows a modilication of the conveyer device of Figs. 2 and 3 in part elevation,

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

In the drawing, 1 denotes a folding appliance, which is for example attached to a newspaper rotary printing '2,885,064 Patented May 5, 1959 ice machine, on the delivery table 3 of which the newspapers 2 lie overlapping one another like scales or roof tiles (see Figs. l and 3). Laterally of the table the new conveyer device is arranged so as to engage along one edge, outside the printed area. This conveyer device comprises an endless conveyer member or forwarding means in the form of a link chain 4 on which two-armed levers 5 are tiltably pivoted at uniform intervals. Torsion springs 7 arranged around the pivot pins 6 tend to tilt the levers 5 in such a manner as to bring them into the position shown on the left hand side of Fig. 2 in which at any time one roller 8 of the upper row of rollers comes to rest on two consecutive rollers 8 of the lower row of rollers. These rollers 8, which are journalled at the ends of the levers 5, have an outer layer of a very resilient foam or sponge rubber, or may consist entirely of such material. When pressed on to the newspapers these rollers assume the shape indicated in Fig. 3 in dotted lines i.e. small bulges appear on the edges of the circumferential face engaging the newspapers.

The link chain 4 is guided by means of rollers 9 on a guide rail 10 which may have any configuration and position desired. It may be horizontal, vertical or sloping at will in any direction so that full freedom in the selection of the direction of transporting is afforded. In Fig. 2 the rail 10 is horizontal, and a short section thereof only is indicated in a chain-dotted line.

On the side of the levers 5 facing away from the rollers 8 guide rollers 11 (Fig. 3) are positioned to cooperate with control cams 12. Each of the two control cams 12 are indicated in Fig. 2 by two solid lines. With these cams a control of the levers 5 is effected in such a manner that the same are tilted against the action of the springs 7 for the purpose of receiving or delivering the newspapers, as illustrated in the middle and on the right hand side of Fig. 2.

As will be seen without ditiiculty from the drawing, the newspapers of a pile are safely bent individually transversely of the direction of movement of the conveyer means 4 and are thereby stilfened since the rollers 8 follow one another at short intervals. They can accordingly be held at their margins where there is no printing and can then be transported in any direction.

In the modifications shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the levers 5 with the rollers 8 are likewise mounted on a link chain of which (in Fig. 5) one link 13 is shown in section. This link has two lateral webs 14 which are fixedly pressed on to the ends of a bushing 15, wherein an axle 16 is journalled. On this axle two runner rollers 17 are journalled (one on each side of the chain link 13) by means of ball bearings 18. These ball bearings are secured in their position in the bodies of the runner rollers by means of resilient safety rings 19. The runner rollers 17 Iare journaled on portions of the shaft 16 of smaller diameter than that portion of the shaft 16 which is surrounded by the bushing 15 and the positions of said rollers 17 are accurately determined by adjustment collars 20 and distance rings 21. To the right of the right hand side bearing 18 a bushing 22 is provided. The axle 16 is provided iat its ends with screw threads vfor the nuts 23. The washers thereof are denoted 24, and a safety ring is denoted 25. The runner rollers 17 run on the lower inner face of the U-shaped rail 26.

The bushing 22 is provided with a neck 27 on which the hub 28 of the two-armed lever 5 is pivotally mounted. At the ends of this lever the gripper rollers 8 consisting of sponge rubber are mounted on the hollow mandrels 29 which are lixedly connected to the ends of the levers or are integral with the same. On a lug 30 at the lower end of the lever 5 a pin 31 is screwed by means of a cap nut 32. On a lug 37 at the upper end of the lever 5 a pin 33 is screwed by means of a cap nut 34, on which pin a bushing 35 is mounted. A spring 36 is attached at its upper end to bushing 35, while a spring 36 is `attached at its lower end to pin 3l. From Fig. 4 it is clear that the tension spring 36 pulls the upper end of the lever 5 and the lower end of the adjacent lever S towards one another. Thereby in principle the same eiect is attained as with the torsion spring 6 of Fig. 3, the embodiment according to Figs. 4 and 5 being however, more advantageous structurally. On the free ends of the pins 33 (Fig. 5) again guide rollers are journalled in ball bearings. The control cam for the guide rollers 11 (corre` sponding to i2, Figs. 1 and 2) is not shown in Figs. 4 and 5; in this case a single control cam only is provided, since according to Fig. 5 guide rollers are provided only on the upper ends of the levers 5, which, however, cornpletely suffices for moving the upper gripper rollers 8 away from the lower gripper rollers 8.

ln both embodiments described, the double-'armed levers overlap one another in roof-tile fashion, the amount of overlapping in their normal position being about equal to the length of one arm thereof. Instead of the U-proile guide rail described, a double-T-prole rail may be used, the runner rollers then running on the edge of one flange thereof, which flange is preferably shorter than the other one.

While I have herein described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings what may be considered typical :and particularly advantageous embodiments of my Said invention, i wish it to be understood, that I do not limit myself to the particular details and dimensions described and illustrated, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. In an endless conveyor for forwarding ilat paper products such as folded newspapers, an endless forwarding means adapted to be positioned at one side of the paper products to be conveyed, guide means connected to one side of said forwarding means for deterrnining the path of the latter, a plurality of double armed levers connected at an intermediate region of the latter to the opposite side of said forwarding means, a multiplicity of gripping rollers, one of said rollers mounted at each end of each of said double armed levers to provide an upper series of gripping rollers and a lower series 0f gripping rollers, spring means tending to pivot said lever arms to force each roller of said upper series to a tangent position upon two gripping rollers of the lower series whereby any paper product having its margin between the two series of gripping rollers will be gripped and curved transversely, and means in the path of said conveyor adapted to separate a plurality of the consecutive rollers of the two series against the action of said spring means whereby said gripping rollers can receive and discharge paper products.

2. In an endless conveyor as claimed in claim 1, said guide means connected to one side of said forwarding means comprises a plurality of guide rollers and a track for said guide rollers.

3. In an endless conveyor as claimed in claim 1, said separating means for the two series of rollers comprising a multiplicity of cam-following rollers, one of said camfollowing rollers being connected to each of the gripping rollers of at least one series in the opposite Side of said two-armed lever from said gripping rollers, and at least one cam track for the cam-following rollers, said cam track being positioned adjacent a receiving station for said paper products.

4. In an endless conveyor as claimed in claim l, wherein the outer layer of said gripping rollers consists essentially of a soft, expanded rubber material.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 415,267 Hart Nov. 19, 1889 2,532,361 Franklin Dec. 5, 1950 2,755,906 Heywood July 24, 1956 

